Little Place Called Home
by Emotional-Hikari
Summary: Chapt 4 UP! It's almost christmas, and Kritiker decides to let weiss off for 2 weeks. Youji decides to visit home, and takes the others along with him. They discovery things about Youji that files would never know. Pls R&R...
1. Chapter 1: Home for the Holidays

sighs Another story when I don't need one! Damn it!

Well, I'm trying to work on the rest of the stuff as best as I can, but it's not working very well (too tired and inspiration has been sucked into the world of sims2 – god I need help! )

Anyways, I know Christmas was long time ago, but I knew that I had started this too late anyways – so it's for fun now:D

Enjoy!

Warnings: Shounen-ai hints later, slight AU

Rating: PG-13

Key _Italics -_thoughts, or flashbacks

* * *

"Hayaku, Mia-chan! Hayaku! Or we might miss them!"

"Hai, hai! I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying." Mia ran to catch up with her friends who were already three feet ahead of her. School had just let out, and she had promised them that they could drag her to a certain flower shop; supposedly the shop was very popular, but not for the flowers.

"Hayaku!"

"AA!" Mia yelled back, a slight frown forming on her face. Apparently, there were four guys who worked at this flower shop; supposedly four "cute" guys. Her friends goggled over them, and visited the shop almost everyday; this time, they somehow managed to convince Mia to come along.

"Hayaku!"

"Urusai!"

* * *

The small shop was full of squeals and giggles, as the school girls watched and swooned over the four men working there. Ken was trying his best not to drop a pot as the girls crowded the shop, making it difficult to pass; Omi kept having to untangle himself from them; Youji gladly fed their fandom, standing near the back of the shop, while Aya glared and yelled, neither having any affect. 

Outside the shop, Mia and her friends came running down the street, stopping at the doorway from the Koneko. Her friends complained of the crowd that was already there.

"Aww, Mia-chan, you made us late now! We might not be able to see them in this crowd." Mia barely paid much attention to her friends, staring at the displays in the window.

_They actually have some nice arrangements here – I think I'll pick something for O-ji-chan._

Mia looked through the window first, before trying to squeeze her way inside to see if she could find more. She managed to get through the crowd of squealing girls to other display cases, looking through the arrangements there.

Aya glanced around the shop, hoping that at least someone was an actually customer; he noticed a dark-haired girl looking through some of the arrangements.

_At least some**one** is here to buy flowers!_

He thought, rather annoyed; he made his way to the girl's side, surprising her slightly.

"May I help you?" Mia jumped a little at the voice, looking to see it was just one of the workers. Mia stared at the redhead with blank eyes, before nodding her head, and looked back to the arrangements, explaining what she was looking for.

"I want to get something for my uncle; he really likes floral arrangements – especially Ikebana."

_He's not that 'cute'. Unusual, but nothing extraordinary._

Aya directed her to a different shelf, where the more complicated arrangements were kept, explaining the different meaning of each one. Mia finally picked one she liked, Aya taking it out and heading over to the counter to ring up the price. It surprised him just a bit that the girl wasn't blushes and tittering like all the other girls in the shop did. He rang up her price and she paid, taking the arrangement in her arms.

"Arigato gozaimasu."

"Sou, sou – those under 18 go to Omi."

"Mou! Youji-kun!" Mia paused, hearing the name called out; she knew that name, but whether it was the same person, she couldn't tell. She thanked Aya again, this time louder, before turning around to walk out of the shop.

Youji's grin turned into a confused look when he heard the rather loud thank you; he turned around to find the source of the voice, catching eyes with the dark-haired girl just leaving the counter. The two simply stared at each other for several minutes before a dawn of recognition hit them.

"Mia-chan!"

"Youji!" Mia almost forgot about the flowers in her hands, as she ran towards the older blond. Aya made a quick save of the precious arrangement, letting out his breath of the money saved. The shop fell silent as the two gave each other a huge hug; the pull back laughing.

"It really is you, Youji."

"What about you? Last I saw you, you were this little!" Youji held his hand up to the height he last saw Mia at, which was a good foot and half lower then her height now. Mia laughed, a slightly evil smirk playing across her mouth.

"And you? A player, who would of thought." Youji let out a nervous laugh, an uneasy smile to go with it.

"Iya – I'm still the good boy."

"I'm telling O-ji-chan and Ba-chan!" Mia had a slight telltale tone in her voice, as she turned her back on him. Youji panicked, clasping his hands together in an almost begging pose.

"No, no! Don't tell them! I'm still good!" Mia snickered, shaking trying to hold her laughter in. Youji blinked at moment at her, before realizing she was joking; he frowned before a smile came to his face, reaching an arm around her to gently knock her on the side of the head.

"You joker!"

"Mia-chan! What's going on? You know Youji-san!" Mia's friends came up to her, wide pouts on their faces. Mia nodded her head.

"Hai, I know Youji. I've known him practically my whole life."

"U'so!" Her friends, and a few other girls cried out; the others stared at the older blond with slight disbelief.

"Mia-chan, it's not fair! How do you know him so well?"

"Don't misunderstand the situation, here." Youji explained, holding Mia tighter around the shoulder.

"…Mia is my little cousin." A heavy silence fell on the shop; all eyes fell to the cousins, before the girls went back to being their squealing, annoying selves, leaving the two be. Mia retrieved her flowers from Aya, apologizing for almost damaging them; Aya answered with a hum, turning back to the counter.

"Youji, you should really come back home – they really miss you a lot; Ba-chan, especially."

"I know, Mia – but I haven't had time to go back. I have another job as well that keeps me pretty busy."

"I see – well, if you ever get the time, still the same place. Ja ne!"

"Ja." Youji watched as his cousin disappeared around the corner with her gift, letting out a sigh at what she said. Through the rest of the day, Youji remained lost in his thoughts, somehow that making it much easier to shoo the girls out and close the shop relatively on time.

* * *

Youji laid on his bed, on his stomach, flipping through the pages of an album he dug up. He was not one to look back at memories, considering everything from his P.I. past was painful, but he did have a considerable amount of good memories in his childhood. He sighed fondly at the pictures of him, his father and his stepmother; the more older pictures had his real mother in them. Youji saddened a little, staring at his biological mother's pictures – he missed her very much. 

_Kaa-chan…_

"Youji-kun?" Omi popped his head around the door, startling the older man slightly; Youji quickly closed the photo album, sitting up right on his bed. Omi blinked a little at the odd behavior, but passed it up for now.

"Manx is here."

"Coming." Youji let out a sigh; as fun as it was to annoy Manx sometimes, he wasn't in the mood for it right now. Youji placed the album under his pillow for now, heading downstairs to the mission room to await whatever mission was to given to them tonight.

* * *

"U'so…" 

"Wait – this, this isn't a joke, is it?"

"Since when was this arranged?"

"Actually, just recently, and no – it's not a joke, this is real." Manx answered, plain and simple. The Weiss members could only stare at her with surprised faces, as she nodded her head to their silent questions.

"But won't we be needed for anything? I mean – two weeks?"

"There is nothing that other agents can't handle. Besides, you all should be glad to have this vacation – it's almost Christmas." Manx placed a hand on her hip, giving them a slight smile. Omi and Ken yelled at themselves, having been so busy, they both forgot that Christmas was very soon. The weather hadn't been particularly cold lately, giving false impressions of September, instead of December.

"What you decide to do with your two weeks, is up to you. Have a good holiday." Manx left without another word, leaving the four members with themselves. Omi panicked a little that Christmas was so soon; Ken frowned, scratching the side of his head, wondering what he would do for two weeks. Youji stood absolutely shocked, his mind wandering back to the conversation with Mia.

_"You should really come back home – they really miss you a lot; Ba-chan especially."_

"…_Well, if you ever get the time, still the same place."_

A wide smile suddenly beamed on Youji's face as the words began to sink into his mind; without one word, he ran straight to his room, leaving the others confused. Curiosity getting the better of them, Ken and Omi raced up after the older man, leaving Aya staring after them.

"…Baka…" Aya muttered to himself, staring into a different corner of the room. He glanced back at the spiral staircase on occasions, trying to resist the curiosity nagging him. Finally he gave up, letting out a frustrated sigh and followed after them. He came up to see Omi and Ken standing in the older man's door, the blond inside racing around his room, packing various of things into a suitcase.

"Going somewhere?" Aya questioned, crossing his arms across his chest; Youji stopped racing, looking to see his teammates standing in his doorway. A slight flush appeared on his face, before a smile appeared.

"Gomen, but yes, I'm going somewhere." He went back to packing, except in a more dignified manor, walking to get things to and fro the suitcase. The others stood there watching him, their silent presence beginning to unnerve Youji. He stopped; dropping whatever was in his arms and turned to look at his teammates, hands on his hips.

"Nani ka?" He asked impatiently.

"Ano… where are you going?" Omi asked, trying not to sound too overly curious; Youji's frown disappeared, a small smile replacing it.

"I'm going home for the two weeks."

"Isn't that here?" Ken asked, getting a nudge from Omi and a slight whack from Aya; Youji laughed a little, shaking his head as he continued on packing.

"Iie – back to my parents' home… my home." Youji spoke tenderly of it, reaching under his pillow to pull the album out and placed it in delicately in the suitcase. He put clothing on top to keep the book safe for the long trip, carefully close the suitcase and making sure it was locked tight.

"Your parents are still alive? And healthy?" Ken asked, the slight shakiness in his voice going unnoticed. Youji nodded his head, a tender look that none of them have ever seen on his face. An idea popped into Youji's head, turning to face them with a wide smile.

"You guys should come along! My step-mom always likes to meet new people; and she's a great cook."

"Eh?" The others stared in surprise at the sudden proposal; Youji nodded his head, a wide, slightly childish smile on his face. The others could only stare in confusion about the proposal. Youji waited on their answers, his smile disappearing when the silence extended for a long period of time. He let out a slightly depressed sigh, turning back to double check his suitcase again.

"…nevermind… I shouldn't have asked…"

"I guess a trip away from here would be nice…" Ken commented, scratching the back of his head; Youji paused and turned to look at the brunet. Omi put on one of his cherry smiles, agreeing to the idea.

"I didn't your parents were still alive, Youji-kun. I think it would be nice to meet them." Youji felt his smile begin to reappear, all three glancing to the remaining member still silent. Aya looked between the three, giving the expression 'what?" with a slight glare. He rested his gaze on Youji, seeing the slight plea in the older blond's eyes; he let out a sigh of defeat, nodding his head.

"Fine… I'll come along."

"We just don't want you to be alone for Christmas, Aya-kun! No one should be alone for Christmas!" Aya only hummed, heading towards his room to begin packing his things for the trip. Ken and Omi asked what they should pack for just incase; Youji gave a quick description of the area and what to bring. The two went off to pack immediately. Youji smiled, turning his head to stare out his window.

_Too-chan, Kaa-chan… I'm coming home…_

* * *

Awww… Youji is going home for the holidays! Should be interesting – and there is an interesting secret about Youji's stepmother. (snickers) Well, hope you all enjoyed this first part – hopefully more will come. 

Till then, Ja ne!

Emotional-Hikari


	2. Chapter 2: Tanak's Secret

Yeah! A new chapter! (smile) Oi! Minna-sama! Continuing on with this story, cause it is actually quite cute! (squeal) And I have a special treat for you all – you get to know the secret of Youji's stepmother! (gasp!) What could it possibly be?

Find out! And Enjoy!

Warnings: Shounen-ai

Rating: PG-13

* * *

Youji stared at the window of the train, watching the plains outside going from slightly grassy land to light snow-covered ground. Snow had not fallen quite yet in Tokyo, but the more country areas were beginning to snow, so he had stressed that the others bring their winter clothing with them. 

A slight smile appeared on his face, as he thought more about being home again for the holidays; and the best part was, he could spend it with the people had come to care for. Youji glanced away from the window, looking over to Aya and Omi. It was a long trip by train and the (1)shinkansen didn't pass through the area they needed to go to, so they were stuck taking a regular train making it a two-three day trip. Aya and Omi had fallen asleep some hours ago; Aya sat straight against the seat, arms crossed against his chest, head resting against the back. Omi's head had fallen to the side, leaning against the redhead's shoulder – it was a rather cute image.

Youji shook his head, staring back out the window; it was close to being early morning, but it was still pretty dark out. Ken had got up to walk around the train aisle to stretch out his legs. Youji hadn't slept much, he never slept much while traveling; though this time was an exception. He was going home, something he had wished to do for a long time now; he smiled at the thought of his father and his stepmother.

"Still awake?" Ken sat back down in his seat, whispering to the older man. Youji looked from the window to the brunet, nodding his head. He whispered back to Ken.

"I don't usually sleep much on trips." Ken nodded, letting out a small noise; the two fell silent, hearing slight muffles from the two sleeping assassins sitting across from them. Omi shifted a little, lifting his head off Aya's shoulder; Youji smiled, carefully going over to help the younger blond find a more comfortable position without waking him up. Omi made a small noise that surprised the older blond a bit, but he remained asleep overall. Youji let out a sigh, seating himself back down next to Ken; the brunet was awfully quiet for the trip.

"Are you okay, Ken?" Youji whispered, gently nudging the younger man in the side; Ken blinked, before nodding his head.

"Yeah…why?"

"You're just so quiet, that's all. I thought maybe something was bothering you." Ken shook his head, offering a small smile for the older man, saying he was just thinking and nothing more. Youji was hesitant to take the answer, but let the subject drop; if Ken was willing to say whatever was on his mind, he would've done so long time ago. The remainder of the train trip was spent in silence; eventually, Youji was the only one still awake on the train.

* * *

The four trudged up the unpaved path, the night snow wind blowing against them; before descending off the train, Youji made sure that everyone was in the warmest clothing they had bought with them. He warned them that it was extremely cold at nights, and the light snow winds from the bottom were much stronger the closer to the mountain they got. It was a half an hour walk up the path to get to where they needed to be, but the wind pushing against them gave them a slow start. 

"Are we almost there yet?" Ken yelled above the wind, hand over his eyes to keep snowflakes from hitting his eyes. Youji glanced behind him, stopping to let the others caught up with him; he nodded his head, pointing to a house just a couple more feet ahead of them.

They reached the shelter of the porch, brushing off the excess snow from their clothes and hair. Youji was jumping inside, extremely excited to be back at a home he had left about 3 years ago. He gave a tentative knock on the door, fiddling with his fingers as he waited for someone to open the door; they all heard footsteps, the click of the handle and the door creaking open.

A woman around maybe her late 40's opened the door, head popping around the corner. She let out a squeal, opening the door wider as she pulled Youji into a friendly hug; Youji tensed a little, giving her a brief hug back. The shorter woman let him go, a wide smile on her face.

"If it isn't my favorite boy! I can't believe how tall you've gotten!"

"It's good to see you too, May." Youji turned to the others, introduce her to them and them to her; he explained that May was his babysitter/nanny when he was a little boy. The graying woman greeted them excitedly, giving them all a hardy handshake. She led them into the house, helping them with their bags, telling them to leave it in the entrance hall for now.

"May, are my parents home?"

"Of course! Tanak is in the kitchen, and Yoshi's reading in the parlor."

"Arigato." The blond put his bag down on the floor, quietly walking across the wooden floor towards the parlor. The others watched with a faint curiosity as the blond practically tiptoed through the hall; they followed after in the same quiet manner. Youji came up to a door-less arch, peering into the room; in the back, close to the center of the room, was a fireplace, lit and burning steadily. He noticed the armchair sitting a little way from the fireplace, a shadowed figure sitting in it, with a book in hand. The blond smiled to himself, quietly sneaking into the room, up behind the chair. Before he could place his hands on the back of the chair, he felt someone grab his shoulders from behind, making him jump at least two feet. He let out a yelp, hearing a familiar laugh from behind him.

"I always get you!" Youji turned to face the dark-haired man standing behind him, a large grin on his face. Youji tried not to pout, giving the man a stern look.

"Mou! Too-san!" Yoshi kept laughing, eventually Youji's frown disappeared into a smile, laughing along with his father. The older man stopped, patting the blond on the head.

"Good to see you again, Youji." Youji nodded, letting out a tender hum. The others stood in the archway, watching the two greet each other. Ken and Omi smiled at the scene in front of them. Youji fooled around with his father for a few more minutes, before turning to introduce his friends.

"Too-san, they're my roommates, Hidaka, Ken; Tsukiyono, Omi; and Fujimiya, Aya."

"Please to meet you all." Yoshi held his hand out to them, shaking their hands one at a time. The others offered a tentative smile as they shook hands with the older man.

"Yoshi, what's going on out here? There's so much noise…oh…" The others looked to the voice, seeing a woman standing in another archway; their eyes widened slightly when they saw her. Though she was most likely in her late 40's, she still looked very young; practically a full head of brown hair, past shoulder length, tied back in a loose ponytail. Her face was a slight oval, and slightly long, but looked very elegant; light brown eyes shone brightly in a slight almond shape. Overall, she looked very beautiful to them.

"Tanak, guess who decided to come home for the holidays!" Yoshi placed a hand on Youji's head, getting a noise and a light nudge from the man. Tanak smiled, making her way to the blond; Yoshi let his son be, Youji standing straight to face the woman. They stared at each other with the same tender smiles before Tanak began to breakdown in tears, giving Youji a tight hug.

"…Kaa-chan…"

"I've missed you so much, Youji…" Tanak managed in between her light sobs; Youji slowly let her go, giving a slight shrug.

"I've missed you too." Tanak nodded, wiping away her tears from her face; Yoshi placed an arm around her shoulder, holding her close to him. The woman glanced at him, tapping him lightly to indicate that she was fine.

"Kaa-chan, these are my friends, Ken, Omi and Aya. Minna, this is my step-mother, Tanak."

"Pleasure to meet you all. If I'd known we were having guests, I would have prepared."

"I wanted to surprise you." Youji commented, offering a sheepish smile to his step-mom. The brunette smiled, removing herself from her husband's hold, and headed towards the kitchen.

"Good thing I've only just started. May, can you help me in the kitchen?"

"Sure, Tanak." May followed Tanak into the kitchen, the two beginning to prepare dinner. Yoshi motioned for the guys to find a seat in the parlor, telling them to sit and relax. They seated themselves around the fireplace, the heat rising from it giving great comfort from the cold they had just endured.

* * *

The guys sat out in the dinner room, around the large table, while May and Tanak walked to and from the kitchen, putting food dishes on the table. Aya, Ken and Omi watched Tanak, the three still capture by the older woman's beauty. 

"You don't have to wait on us – come, eat!" Tanak encouraged, placing a dish in the center of the table; Yoshi and Youji shrugged, picking up their utensils and began to pick food from the dishes to their plates. Tanak disappeared into the kitchen. Ken leaned over to whisper in Omi's ear.

"What do you think about Tanak-san?" Omi blinked at the question, glancing over to Youji and his father, then back to Ken.

"Well… she is really nice… uh…"

"What are we whispering about over there?" Omi and Ken froze at Yoshi's question, looking to the older man with slightly tense looks. Yoshi took a bite out of his food, as Omi and Ken stuttered with their responses. They both looked at each and shrugged, letting out a sigh.

"Ano… we think that… Tanak-san is – very pretty…" Youji and Yoshi blinked for a moment, before Yoshi broke out laughing, confusing the two. Youji placed a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing himself. The two felt their faces heat up, staring at their still empty plates.

"So they find her pretty – I see no humor in that." Aya interrupted, glaring slightly at the two. Youji stopped his snickering, Yoshi calming down to a silent laugh. Youji gave an encouraging word to Ken and Omi, trying to get them to look up at them at least.

"Sorry, but… you do realize that Tanak is a guy?" The room fell silent, with the exception of Yoshi still snickering; the three stared with wide eyes at the blond. Aya had let the fork he was holding slip from his hand, the utensil landing on the table with a light thud. Omi and Ken let their jaws dropped at the fact.

"Hai! Last plate, so maybe now you'll start eating." Tanak came out with the last dish, putting it on the table. The three looked to the brunette, first staring at her face, then casting a quick glance at the chest. They saw it was flat.

"Are? Something wrong? Everyone is so silent." Tanak questioned, Yoshi's failed attempts at holding in his laughter going unnoticed. The three assassins kept quiet before turning to the food, slowly picking out something to put on their plates. Tanak blinked for a moment, before realization dawned on him. He scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Sorry – I guess I should have said something earlier…"

"You're a guy!" Ken blurted out, unable to keep quiet about the truth; Tanak shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head.

"Well, yes I'm male. It's okay if you've confused as being female – it happens all the time." The others didn't say anything, Youji and Yoshi snickering in the background. Tanak took a seat next to Yoshi and began serving dinner for himself. The whole of the dinner was spent in uneasy silence.

* * *

(1) Shinkansen – Japan's bullet train 

O.o Tanak is a guy! Youji's father remarried… to another guy? That's got to be a turning point, ain't it? Anyways, thank you for reading! (smile) More know-how on how Yoshi met Tanak and what happened to Youji's real mother! More to come! Stay tune till next time! JA!

Emotional-Hikari


	3. Chapter 3: A Past Long Ago

Wai! Gomen, gomen, gomen! It's been terrible lately and I haven't had any inspiration to write! Hopefully I can start again soon.

Anyways, new chapter! Enjoy!

Warnings: shounen-ai

Rating: uh…K+ (damn, this system will take time to get use too)

* * *

After dinner was over, they all sat in the parlor; Tanak next to Yoshi on one couch, Youji, Aya, Ken on other and Omi and May on the last one. There was an uneasy silence between them, as the others still tried to process the fact that Youji's stepmother is a guy. Tanak was a little more self-conscious about his and Yoshi's affections, often whispering to the older man to stop cuddling or trying to hold him.

Youji sat still, with his hands on his knees, eyes staring up at the ceiling. He had a feeling this was going to happen.

_Not good…maybe I should have told them first…baka na…_

"…Ano na…" All eyes turned to the youngest blond, the poor teen flushing at the sudden turn of attention. Omi cleared his throat, trying to get his question out.

"…I was wondering…ano…" Tanak smiled, feeling a little more relaxed then before. He stood up to his feet, going over to the small blond. May scooted over a little to allow the man to sit down. Omi glanced up at the dark-haired man, giving him a confused look; Tanak offered a gentle smile.

"Go on; what would you like to know?" Omi timidly smiled back, his flush darkening a little.

"Ano… how did – how did you and Yoshi-san meet? And…what-what happen to Youji-kun's real mother?"

"Or was Youji adopted?" Ken asked, unintentionally throwing in a bit of humor. Youji hit the brunet on the head, as the others laughed at the question.

"I have a biological mother and father!" Youji scolded, earning a pout from the younger man. Aya only offered a small smile while the other laughed. Yoshi slowly stopped laughing, gesturing Tanak to sit back down with him. The younger man nodded, getting up to go over sit next to his husband. Yoshi placed an arm around Tanak's shoulder, the smaller man feeling more relaxed.

"How Tanak and I met is a special story… You see, Youji's mother – my wife, Malaika, had passed away when Youji was still very young…"

* * *

"Gomen ne, Yoshi-kun. Demo, I don't think this is going to work out."

"Aa… wakata. Suimimasen, Hanako." The light-haired woman smiled, getting up from the table to leave through the door. Yoshi glanced down at the surface with sad eyes, not watching her leave. Hanako passed by the entrance hallway, a little blond boy watching her lean down to put her shoes on.

"Papa and Hanako-chan are not going to be together anymore?" Hanako looked back at the little boy standing behind her, hands behind his back. She smiled at him, placing a gentle hand on his head.

"Gomen, Youji-kun. But I don't think it was meant to be."

"Sou desu…"

"Daijoubu; I'll still be in contact. Ja ne."

"…Sayonara…" Youji watched as the woman walked out of the house, the door closing with a click behind her. Youji waited a few minutes before going into the small kitchen to find his father. Yoshi had his face buried into his hands, leaning his arms on the table. Though Youji couldn't hear it, he knew his father was crying; the blond wiped his own eyes to keep from crying.

_Yamero – Papa needs you; you can't cry now!_

Yoshi folded his arms, crying into the table; Youji came up to the side of the table, looking up at the man. It took a good 5 minutes before Yoshi turned his head and noticed his son standing there; he quickly wiped away his tears, offering a smile to the boy. He knew it was fake.

"…She's not going to come back, is she?" Youji asked, trying to keep his face as straight as possible; Yoshi gathered the boy in his arms, holding him tight.

"…cry…" The boy blinked at his father, the man holding him tighter, but not uncomfortably tight. Yoshi only repeated that one word.

"cry…"

"Dame da yo…" Youji whispered, but tears began to form in his eyes; he held on to his father, burying his face against his shoulder.

"if you don't, it will never go away – cry…"

"PAPA!"

* * *

"So, let's see if I follow – after she had died, you tried picking up again?" Ken asked, trying to see if he was following the story right. Yoshi nodded his head.

"Demo… none of the relations worked out?" Yoshi nodded again, letting out a sigh this time. He leaned his head against Tanak's shoulder, squeezing the younger man's shoulder. Tanak gave him a reassuring pat, nudging the man's head off his shoulder. Yoshi sat straight up again, clearing his throat to begin again.

"It puzzled me why I wasn't doing so well in a relationship."

"Eto… then Tanak came into the scene?"

"Well… not exactly – it was Youji who I met first…"

* * *

Yoshi let go of his son's hand, letting Youji run off the path to the more grassy areas of the park. He smiled at the energy of the little 6 year old; it amazed him that the boy could still smile despite the fact his mother was no longer alive. Youji ran in between two tall trees, staring up at the branches high above his head; he held his hand up towards the light seeping through the leaves, a wide smile forming on his face.

_Konnichi wa, mama!_

Youji stood there for a moment, before he continued on running; he loved the feel of the wind pass by him as he ran. He closed his eyes for a moment, not hearing his father's voice in the distance. The boy continued on, not paying attention to the direction he was going. Sudden the ground slopped below him, Youji slipped down the hillside falling into a throne burrow at the bottom. He hissed a little at the pain from the fall, slowly moving to get up when he heard a voice above him.

"Dame desu!" Youji carefully looked up the hill to see someone standing at the top of the hill, carefully making their way down. He was unable to tell if it was a guy or a woman due to the shoulder length hair.

"Don't move. Those thrones are poisonous. Chotte!" Youji held still, trying not to cry as he waited for the person to make their way down. The blond soon realized it was a guy. The dark-haired man laid down on his stomach, crawling through the small opening in the thrones that Youji had fallen through, holding his hand out.

"Give me your hand –slowly." The boy carefully, and slowly moved his hand, trying to avoid the thrones as he did so. The man grabbed his small hand gently, easing them both out of the burrow. The dark-haired stranger helped him to the top of the hill, checking to make sure there were no scratches or marks from the thrones. Youji began to cry, trying to force the tears back from his eyes. He felt a gentle hand stroke the back of his head.

"Daijoubu; everything is okay, no scratches." Youji mumbled something to himself, a hand trying to wipe away the tears. He hadn't realized it before, but he had ran too far ahead from his father.

"Ah? Doushita no?"

"…papa!"

"Daijoubu – I'll help you find your father, alright. Please don't cry." Youji glanced up into brown eyes, seeing a gentle look that reminded him of his mother. The blond nodded his head, doing his best to stop his tears; the man took his hand and began walking to find his father.

"Boku…boku wa Youji…" The boy blurted out suddenly, surprising the man a little; the brunet smiled, holding his hand tight as they began to search through the park.

"Watashi wa Tanak."

* * *

Awww – well, we know how Youji met Tanak, but how in the world did Tanak and Yoshi end up married? And what of Youji's mother? More to come (I hope)! Thank you for reading and see you next time! Ja!

Emotional-Hikari


	4. Chapter 4: When Love Blooms

Wow! O.o I actually got off my lazy arse and did something! Amazing…

Warnings: Shounen-ai hints

Pairing: Tanak + Yoshi (Original characters)

Rating: K+

* * *

Youji sunk into his seat as the point of attention was suddenly directed at him; his teammates had slightly surprised looks on their faces, the sounds of the fire cracking being the only noise in the room.

"Eh – was that true, Youji-kun? That's how you met Tanak-san?"

"Aa…" The blond affirmed, letting out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. Tanak smiled gently, pulling a stray bang behind his ear.

"Then how did you two end up together? That seems rather odd."

"Well, I'm not quite done with the story yet."

"Ah – sumimasen. Doozo."

* * *

Tanak walked with the little boy around the park, trying to track back the places Youji was standing last. On few occasions, Tanak would stop walking, holding a hand to his face. He wasn't sure why, but the brunet seemed to be feeling very dizzy all of sudden.

_Mou – maybe it's the sun; I haven't been drinking enough water…_

"Tanak-nii-chan, daijoubu ka?"

"Eh? Ah – hai. I just needed to rest a bit." Tanak excused, smiling gently at the young blond, and continued on walking with him. After a half-hour of walking and stopping occasionally for Tanak to rest, Youji finally found his father again. The boy let go of Tanak's hand, running to Yoshi's open arms.

"PAPA!"

"Yokatta! I was so worried about you, Youji!"

"I'm okay." Youji began to explain how he had been stuck in a burrow of poison thorns and how he was saved and taken care of by Tanak. Tanak watched the scene in front of him, a wide smile spreading across his face at the deed he had down. The smile faded as he felt a heavy daze fall upon him, his breathing becoming slightly shallow.

_What is going on? I shouldn't be…_

"Tanak-nii-chan?" Youji called to the man curiously, the brunet seemed awfully pale; Yoshi noted this, letting his son down on the ground. Before he could say anything to the other man, Tanak collapsed, Yoshi just barely catching him before he hit the ground.

"Oi! Daijoubu ka? OI!"

"Tanak-nii-chan!"

* * *

Yoshi waited with Youji in the waiting room. They had quickly rushed Tanak to a clinic that was nearby the park, hoping it was nothing too serious. They had found out from the doctor that Tanak had been poison – most likely from the thorns that were common around the park. Youji was trying his best to keep himself from crying; he couldn't help but feel that this was his fault. That Tanak was suffering because of him.

Finally the doctor came out of the room, saying Tanak was fine. They had managed to extract the poison before it had dire effects on the brunet; he would be weak for a couple of days, but he'd survive.

Yoshi thanked the doctor, taking Youji inside to go see how the man was doing. Tanak was awake, his head propped up by a pillow. He turned his head to see who was visiting him. He smiled seeing Youji with his father.

"Yokatta – Youji-kun is alright, ne?" Youji began to cry at the question, getting a worried look from both Tanak and his father. Yoshi tried to calm his son down, saying everyone was alright.

"Demo – it was my fault Tanak-nii-chan got sick! I am the one who got him hurt!" Tanak smiled gently, reaching a shaky hand for the boy's shoulder. Youji looked up at him, tears still streaming down his face, his nose running slightly.

"Daijoubu – I chose to help you, and I don't regret doing it either." Tanak explained, his hand sliding off Youji's shoulder, unable to keep it up with his own strength. Youji's tears began to cease, blinking at the man. Tanak nodded his head, trying to lift his hand again; Yoshi helped him, holding it on Youji's shoulder.

"It's not your fault that I got poisoned; I wasn't paying attention, but I don't regret helping you, Youji-kun." Youji wiped away his remaining tears, giving Tanak a smile through the tears.

"Arigatou, Tanak-nii-chan!"

* * *

"So we talked a little while and we started visiting each other." Yoshi snuggled closer to Tanak, making the younger man blush at the display of affection in front of strangers. May had a dreamy look in her eyes, letting out a sigh of content; Ran, Ken and Omi tried to hid their slight discomfort, Youji only sighed, having grown use to the display of affection between his father and Tanak.

"Anou – then when, I mean… how did you…?" Omi tried to form a question, the words coming out in a jumbled mess then a coherent sentence. But Tanak and Yoshi knew what the blond was trying to ask.

"Ah – I say we got together after three or four years after that." Yoshi explained, giving Tanak an extra squeeze, earning him a nudge in the side. Youji seemed to be in deep ponder about the answer, scratching his head.

"Three-four years? I thought it was roughly after a year?"

"Eh?" Both Tanak and Yoshi glanced at the blond with wide eyes at the question. Both remained speechless for a bit, Yoshi recovering his voice. Facing his son.

"Na, Youji? Do you remember how old you were when I told you Tanak was joining the family?"

"10 years old – I know."

"And before we told you, that's when Tanak and I came to realize our feelings for each other!" Yoshi answered all too positively, earning queer glances from the rest of the room, and a sigh from Tanak. The brunet turned to Youji, curiosity in his eyes.

"What makes you think otherwise, Youji?"

"I remember when you and too-san went out for dinner. You told me you and too-san were going to a place that would be too boring for me…"

* * *

"He's here!" Youji bounced out of his room at the sound of the door bell, racing down the stairs to go open the door. Yoshi snickered at his son's excitement, fixing the cuff on his sleeve. He turned to May, presenting himself to her.

"So? How do I look?"

"You're bow's crooked." May got up from her seat, going over to help the taller man straighten his tie. Yoshi thanked her, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek, before heading downstairs to greet Tanak along with Youji.

The boy had already opened the door, giving Tanak a huge hug before the man could get a word out of his mouth. Tanak smiled at the boy's energy, hugging the Youji back; he looked up to see May and Yoshi coming down the stairs. Tanak felt a slight blush appear on his face as his eyes locked with Yoshi's.

"Ne? Where are we going this time?" Youji asked, pulling the two men away from their daze. Tanak smiled, going down on knee relative to the blond's height.

"Youji-kun – it will be very boring tonight, so it will only be Yoshi and I going out."

"Ha? Demo…" Tanak tried to explain better, telling Youji that the restaurant was a very classy place and it was usually forbidden to act silly and have a little fun while there. Youji listened as Tanak explained, indeed finding that place would be very boring.

"You understand now?"

"HAI! I stay with May-chan and have fun, while papa and Tanak-nii-chan go to a boring place!" Tanak had to laugh; it wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about Youji while at the restaurant.

"Well, we better get going – or they're going to bump off our reservations!" Yoshi ushered Tanak out the door, expressing the time. Tanak nodded, giving Youji a goodbye pat on the head before leaving with Yoshi out the door. The blond waved goodbye even as May closed the door. The woman went off to the kitchen to fix dinner for the both of them, saying she'll entertain Youji in a minute.

"Okay! I'm going to say goodbye from the window!" Youji walked to the window closest to the door, ready to knock on it to get Yoshi and Tanak's attention. He didn't, however, when he noticed that his father and Tanak were standing just a few feet away from the house. They seemed to be talking to each other, Youji noticing Tanak was keeping his head down for most of the conversation.

He saw Tanak lift his head up, an angry expression on his face; Youji worried that they were having a fight, but were trying to hide it from him. He tears begin to stream down the brunet's face, his father's hand reaching out to wipe them away. Youji simply stood at the window watching as his father pulled Tanak close to him, the shorter man resting his head against his shoulder.

The two stood like that for a few minutes before Tanak finally pulled away, a slight blush on his face. Youji watched as his father and Tanak walked to the car, Yoshi sliding an arm around the brunet's waist.

"Youji? Are you still by the window?"

"Hai! May-chan! I'm done saying goodbye!"

* * *

Yo! Minna-san! I haven't abandoned anyone yet! Not yet… anyways, thanks to all who are reading this – it really means a lot, please review and leave comments. They are the basics and inspiration and encouragement every author needs to continue writing. ;) Thanks

Emotional-Hikari


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